Of course, you'll need to bring along a few toys and packing some of their favorites is probably a good idea. You'll want to select toys that can occupy your kids for longer periods of time, especially if you're on a long trip. Try bringing a few toys along and then handing them out at different times along the trip [source: Mahoney]. This prevents the kids from getting bored too quickly and gives them something new to do at regular intervals.

A portable DVD player in the car can also go a long way to keep the kids from getting too bored and then expecting the parents to be in charge of entertaining them. Neiger said, "Without a DVD player, parents are most likely to go insane." The old school days of playing games with the kids in the car may seem like long ago, but even the most technologically savvy kids still enjoy some good old fashioned interactive car games, so try out a few until you find one that sticks. Entertaining the kids by playing games is a good way to keep them from getting irritated at the long car ride as well from fighting with each other.

On the next page, we'll take a look at some tips that will help everyone enjoy the ride a little more.